Ivan Rodriguez Retires, But Does He Still Have A Future In Baseball?

By Howard Koplowitz | April 24 2012 5:20 PM

Ivan Rodriguez long and prosperous career came to an end Monday when he announced his retirement. But the player affectionately known as Pudge may still have baseball in his future.

Reuters

Ivan Rodriguez long and prosperous career came to an end Monday when he announced his retirement. But the player affectionately known as "Pudge" may still have baseball in his future.

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Rodriguez, 40, is a sure hall of famer and one of the greatest catchers to ever play the game and ended his career with a lifetime .296 batting average, 311 homers, 2,844 hits and 1,332 RBI.

Rodriguez made a name for himself coming up with the Texas Rangers in 1991 and played on Texas for 13 seasons. Other stops in Pudge's Major League career include the Marlins, Tigers, Yankees, Astros and Nationals.

He signed a one-day contract with Texas so he could retire as a Ranger.

Rodriguez was emotional as he officially announced his retirement Monday in Texas.

It's a very hard day for me, Pudge said during the announcement. It's been a great, great, run. Twenty one years has been beautiful. To see teammates of mine, thank you guys for coming. I want to thank the fans here from Texas and fans from all over baseball. Thanks to the all the organizations I've played with.

While Pudge's playing days are over, he still may be involved in the game he loves in the future.

Texas Rangers President Nolan Ryan said the team and Rodriguez have been in talks to have Pudge work for the franchise.

We've talked about continuing our relationship, Ryan said, according to the Dallas Morning News. I think there is interest on both sides. And I think it will be good. We're looking forward to working something out. Obviously, catching is something we'd have a strong interest in, but with the success he's had and the way he transitioned, he could be a very positive influence on our young Latin players.

The Puerto Rican-born Rodriguez won the American League MVP in 1999 as a member of the Rangers and won the World Series with the Marlins in 2003.

Pudge's other accolades include seven Silver Slugger awards, 13 Gold Gloves and 14 All-Star appearances.